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With the ink barely dry on its deal to buy Paramount, Skydance is reportedly already looking to roll up another major entertainment company. Paramount Skydance is working on an offer to buy Warner Bros. Discovery, a media mega-brand that owns disparate brands ranging from CNN and DC Studios to HBO. CNBC reports that the mostly-cash bid would price Warner Bros. Discovery at around $22 to $24 per share. Skydance, now Paramount Skydance, was founded by Oracle co-founder Larry Ellisons son David Ellison, who operates the company as its CEO. His sister, Megan Ellison, is already an established name in Hollywood as the founder of independent film production house Annapurna Pictures. With Paramount in its quiver, Skydance now owns Paramount Pictures, Paramount+, CBS, CBS News, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and Showtime, among other entertainment properties. If the company succeeds with rumored plans to buy Warner Bros., it would also pick up Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Studios, DC Comics, Turner Classic Movies, New Line Cinema, HBO, HBO Max, CNN, the Discovery Channel, the Travel Channel, TBS, TNT, Warner Bros. theme parks. Warner Bros. Discovery is currently worth north of $45 billion. Shortly after the deal closed, Ellisons Paramount announced a $7.7 billion deal to stream all UFC fights in the U.S. for the next seven years. The partnership reportedly doubles what ESPN was paying to air UFC matches a mark of Ellisons aggressive approach. Warner Bros. plans interrupted If Skydance Paramount lands Warner Bros. Discovery, the merger would interrupt the latters plans to split itself into two public companies by 2026. In June, Warner Bros. Discovery announced that it would divide its assets into two parts: a streaming and studios company and a global networks company. The streaming company would peel off DC Studios, HBO, HBO Max, Warner Bros. Television and Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group while the latter would focus on sports, news and traditional TV, including CNN, TNT Sports, Discovery and Bleacher Report. This separation will invigorate each company by enabling them to leverage their strengths and specific financial profiles. This will also allow each company to pursue important investment opportunities and drive shareholder value,” Warner Bros. Discovery CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels said of the plan. While massive media consolidation is the name of the game in recent years, Warner Bros. wouldnt have been the first entertainment giant opting to divide and conquer. Late last year, Comcast announced that it would spin a chunk of its portfolio off into its own cable TV and digital media-focused entity initially called SpinCo and since renamed to Versant. Its portfolio of brands is set to include USA, CNBC, MSNBC, E!, Rotten Tomatoes and Fandango. The Ellison family builds a media behemoth As an outsider media company, Skydance is uniquely positioned to make splashy moves on entrenched entertainment giants. Thats largely thanks to its links to the elder Ellison, who earlier this month briefly surpassed Elon Musk as the richest man in the world. Oracles stock has soared by more than 40% in 2025, driven by cloud revenue and planned AI investments, including an eye-watering $300 billion 5-year deal with OpenAI. Oracles name has also long been linked to a plan to force ByteDance to sell TikTok to a U.S-based owner that was initiated during the first Trump administration but still hasnt come to pass. David Ellison is moving swiftly to consolidate media companies under his banner and it likely has the political goodwill with the Trump administration to succeed. Skydances $8.4 billion merger with entertainment industry pillar Paramount was approved by the FCC in July. That same month, Paramount paid $16 million to settle a lawsuit from the Trump administration targeting it and CBS News over an interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris. While many legal experts viewed the $10 billion lawsuit as frivolous, Paramounts decision to settle was criticized as a bid to endear itself to the Trump administration. A week prior to the FCC approval, CBS announced that it would kill Stephen Colberts The Late Show, which regularly lambasts Trump. After Paramount decided to settle, Colbert famously denounced the decision as a big fat bribe. The Ellison familys unimaginable wealth certainly positions it well to fulfill its ambitious media dreams, but Larry Ellisons history as a Trump ally might prove just as potent. The Trump administration has wielded its regulatory power in shocking ways that are already reshaping the media landscape, which is in a period of unprecedented consolidation. Earlier this week, ABC pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air after the late night host accused Trump supporters of leveraging Charlie Kirks death for political gain and insinuated that Kirks shooter may have been aligned with the political right. Echoing conservative backlash against Kimmel, FCC Chair Brendan Carr criticized the hosts comments and threatened to use the regulatory agencys might under Trump to punish its detractors a threat that seemed to prompt instant action from ABC. I mean, we can do this the easy way or the hard way, Carr said. These companies can find ways to change conduct and take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or theres going to be additional work for the FCC ahead. Carrs comments and ABCs apparent capitulation inspired an outpouring of concern that the Trump administration is violating the First Amendment by wielding its power directly to quell its critics. Even some Republicans have expressed free speech concerns, including Senator Ted Cruz, who characterized the Kimmel situation dangerous as hell and right out of Goodfellas.
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E-Commerce
Some moments shift your perspective. My moment arrived in an email from my boss with a simple subject line: You should take a look at this presentation as it will prepare you for your new role. Attached was a deck titled How to be a creative director without sucking at it by Rodd Chant. It was about how to reshape the approach to leadership. The presentation was full of insights, but one slide stood out and stopped me cold: Make decisions. Two simple words. But they landed with weight. I thought back to the most frustrating leadership moments Id experienced over my career. Times when progress stalled, morale dipped, and teams struggled to stay on course. The common thread was indecision. Leaders who hesitated, deferred, or avoided making the call. Leaders who chose based on fear of being wrong rather than belief in what was right. That document didnt just offer advice. It sparked a moment of clarity. I realized that my respect for leaders had always been tied to their willingness to decide, especially when the stakes were high and the answers werent obvious. The foundation of leadership As I stepped into the biggest leadership role of my career, I made a promise to myself that decision making wouldnt be just one skill in my toolkit, but the foundation of my leadership. This doesnt mean making decisions hastily or pretending to have all the answers. Instead, its about recognizing that leadership requires clarity and courage. It means taking the time to understand the situation, listening to others, and then choosing a direction youre willing to stand behind. Even when the path forward is uncertain, leaders must be willing to make bold moves and lead with purpose. Every decision you makeor avoidtells your team something about you. Remember, they are always paying attention and asking themselves: Can I trust this person to make tough calls? Will they stand behind their choices? Do they see the bigger picture? My goal is for my team to answer yes with confidence, optimism, and respect. Not because I always have the perfect answer, but because I consistently choose to lead with conviction and courage. Kelly Hiller is the chief marketing officer of Purdue University.
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E-Commerce
Parents who have purchased Sprout Organics baby food products from Walgreens and other stores since last year will want to check to make sure they dont have a now-recalled Sweet Potato Apple and Spinach food pouch. It is feared that the recalled product may contain elevated levels of lead, which can be detrimental to a babys development. Heres what you need to know. Whats happened? On Tuesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a recall notice about a product from the organic baby food company Sprout Organics. That product is a Sweet Potato, Apple, and Spinach baby food pouch. It is feared that select pouches may have increased levels of lead in the food inside. Sprout Organics initiated the voluntary recall after routine sampling suggested the product may contain elevated levels of lead. According to the recall notice, no other Sprout Organics products are included in this recall. The FDA notice warns that exposure to lead, even at low levels, can increase the amount of lead in a persons blood. Increased lead blood levels can have varying effects, based on a persons age and weight. The notice states that If a child is exposed to enough lead for a protracted period of time, this can affect learning and development or cause other long-term health problems. As of the time of the notices publication, no illnesses linked to the recalled food have been reported. What Sprout Organics product is being recalled? Sprout Organics sells several varieties of baby food in pouch containers, and one of those items is being recalled. The recalled Sprout Organics baby food product is: Product Name: Sprout Organics Sweet Potato Apple and Spinach 3.5 oz pouch Lot code: 4212 Expiration Date: 10/29/2025 Though the expiration date runs until the final days of October, the product was sold as far back as 2024. According ot the recall notice, most sales of the recalled product occurred between September and December 2024. You can view an image of the recalled product here. Where was the recalled Sprout Organics baby food sold? The recalled Sprout Organics Sweet Potato Apple and Spinach 3.5 oz pouch was sold at a number of venues in the US South region, according to the recall notice. Those venues include several unnamed independent stores in the region. It also includes Walgreens stores in the region. The recall notice states that The product was not sold in any other large grocery chain besides Walgreens. What should I do if I have the recalled baby food? Do not serve the food to your child or anyone else. Instead, you should return it to its place of purchase for a full refund. Those with questions or concerns about the recalled product can email Sprout Organics at Info@sproutorganics.com. Full details of the recall are available here.
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E-Commerce
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